The present invention relates substantially to a bicycle and a bicycle folding method to be used by a rider in travel.
When a rider travels on a bicycle, he sits on the saddle and presses the pedals, by which a drive force is transmitted through the drive force transmission section composed of a crank and, for example chains connecting to its rear wheel, thereby driving the bicycle.
Bicycles configured as such include those which are driven only by the pedaling of a rider and others in which the rider pedaling is assisted by an electric motor.
Some of these bicycles can be folded up into shapes that occupy less space when not in use and can be unfolded for use.
These collapsible bicycles, however, have the following problems.
First, in a folded state, most bicycles have an unlocking portion to be operated when folding up and a grip portion to be grasped for pulling up and are arranged separately. This causes a rider difficulty by changing his grips when operating these portions. Another problem is that there is no dedicated grip by which a rider folds up his folded bicycle, thereby decreasing the workability of a holding operation, and sometimes causing the rider""s hand to get caught between the bicycle members which are being folded up.
There is no grip by which a rider in travel can carry his folded bicycle. Few bicycles combine the ease and safety of folding operation with the compactness in a folded state.
With respect to the folding of the front wheel or the handle, there has been known a method of folding a pipe portion, or stem portion for supporting the handle, or a method of telescopically sliding the stem portion, thereby shortening the stem portion in the length direction; however, in these methods, there occurs a problem in which the handle is wobbled or the sliding motion of the stem portion is restricted.
In the case of containing the battery pack in the body frame, the battery pack cannot be taken from the body frame from the structural viewpoint of the body frame, unless the bicycle is not folded.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a bicycle and a bicycle folding method which allow a rider to fold up the bicycle with ease and without fault.
In carrying out the invention and according to one aspect thereof, there is provided a bicycle comprising: a front wheel and a rear wheel; a saddle on which a rider rides; a pair of pedals to which the rider imparts drive force; a first frame for holding the front wheel in a rotative manner; a handle for changing the direction of the front wheel; a second frame for holding the rear wheel in a rotative manner; and a linking portion for linking a linking member of the first frame with a linking member of the second frame, wherein the first frame and the second frame can be brought toward each other by the rider""s lifting the linking portion with the front wheel and the rear wheel kept in contact with the ground, thereby folding up the bicycle with the front wheel and the rear wheel overlapping each other in at least one portion thereof.
In carrying out the invention and according to a second aspect thereof, there is provided a bicycle folding method comprising the steps of: lifting by a rider a linking portion of a bicycle linking a linking member of a first frame having a front wheel with a linking member of a second frame having a rear wheel; and folding the first frame and the second frame with the front wheel and the rear wheel kept in contact with the ground in a state where the front wheel and the rear wheel overlap each other in at least one portion thereof.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like parts or elements are denoted by like reference numbers and symbols.